Book Review: Fragile Lies by Laura Elliot

His name is Michael Carmody.
He is a writer and a father.
His son is lying in a coma, fighting for his life.
Her name is Lorraine Cheevers.
She is an artist and a mother.
An illicit affair has destroyed her marriage.
Michael is desperate to find the couple who left his son for dead, a victim of a hit and run.
Lorraine is desperate to start a new life for her and her daughter.
Michael and Lorraine are about to cross paths- damaged souls, drawn to one another.
They don't know that their lives are already connected.
They don't know the web of lies surrounding them.
They are searching for the truth. But when they find it, it could destroy them both.

Publisher: Bookouture

Publication Date: 13th February, 2015

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, Fragile Lies by Laura Elliot drew me in from the very first page and I had read it in a couple of days.
Michael Carmody and Lorraine Cheevers are the main characters. Michael's teenage son is lying in a coma after being left for dead in a hit and run accident. Well-known artist Lorraine is moving to the countryside after her marriage was torn apart by her husband's illicit affair. Lorraine wants to get away from it all and concentrate on raising her daughter Emily. Yet Michael and Lorraine are both drawn together, having no idea that they are already linked. As Michael pursues the truth about his son's accident, Lorraine looks for the truth about the nature of her husband's affair.As the truth starts to be revealed, it is not certain if Michael and Lorraine's new love will take the strain.
Fragile Lies has a little bit of everything, love, tragedy, infidelity, lies and secrets. I thought that Laura Elliot set up the story perfectly at the beginning and then she kept the plot going at an excellent pace. The characters are quite complex and I think this added a real edge to the book; they felt very well thought out and I loved how the author weaved their separate stories together.
The family aspect of the book was also interesting. Lorraine and Michael are both very successful in their careers but if you strip everything away they are completely devoted to their children. Michael cannot rest until he gets justice for his son and Lorraine wants to do everything she can to protect her daughter,  no matter how much Emily resents it.
Laura Elliot is a new author for me but I would highly recommend Fragile Lies. Excellent plot, interesting characters and plenty of intrigue.

Many thanks to the lovely Kim at Bookouture for sending me a review copy, Fragile Lies is published on February 13th.

Book Review: Looking for La La by Ellie Campbell

When Cathy O'Farrell's husband, Declan receives a saucy postcard from the mysterious La La, Cathy is thrilled. Not seriously suspecting that her husband is having an affair, Cathy and her friend Raz start an investigation aided in part by the Tuesday Twice Monthly's, a tight knit group of local moms. Soon the notes turn sinister and Cathy notices a red estate car following her. Is this mystery perhaps more than she bargained for?

I really enjoyed Looking for La La, I think it is an original and entertaining read. Part chick-lit, part mystery, the authors keep your interest throughout.
Ellie Campbell is actually sisters Pam Burks and Lorraine Campbell and the bo
ok was apparently inspired by  Pam's husband receiving anonymous postcards in real life. When Cathy's husband receives the mail signed from La La, she decides to investigate. Worryingly Cathy is more excited that this postcard will bring some excitement to her life rather than being concerned that her husband is having an affair.
I liked Cathy's character, her two children are at school now and Declan is talking about her returning to work but she really doesn't want to. I felt a little sorry for Cathy, she doesn't seem to know what she wants at the start of the book; her role of wife and mother is changing and I think that is something that many female readers will identify with.
One of my favourite characters was Raz, along with Cathy's personality, they bring a lot of humour to the story which gives it a chick-lit feel.
I would recommend Looking for La La if you are after a chick-lit read with a slightly  more engaging storyline. I hope that Pam Burke and Lorraine Campbell have more books to offer in the future.

Dot Scribbles Rating: 4/5

Book Review: Release Me by J. Kenner

He was the one man I couldn't avoid. And the one man I couldn't resist.
Damien Stark could have his way with any woman. He was sexy, confident and commanding: anything he wanted, he got. And what he wanted was me.
Our attraction was unmistakable, almost beyond control, but as much as I ached to be his, I feared the pressure of his demands. Submitting to Damien meant I had to bear the darkest truth about my past- and risk breaking us apart.

Release Me is about the relationship between Nikki and Damien. Nikki met Damien 6 years ago when she was competing in a beauty pageant and she has never forgotten him. They meet again when she moves to Los Angeles to pursue her career. Their attraction is instant but Nikki has some secrets from her past which she doesn't feel ready to share and Damien is clearly hiding something too.
I enjoyed Release Me and I was pleased to discover that it is the first in a trilogy. There are many comparisons to be made with Fifty Shades of Grey, if you enjoyed those then you will love this too.
Damien Stark is a very enigmatic character, he has some infuriating traits but it is easy to understand why Nikki is drawn to him. I found Nikki a little more complicated, she ha
s these secrets in her past and I felt that they were really built up even though we didn't learn that much about their cause. Maybe we will discover more about Nikki and Damien in the next book.
Release Me is a quick, sexy, escapist read. J. Kenner keeps the plot going and the reader wanting more.

Dot Scribbles Rating: 3.75/5

Pages: 352

Publisher: Headline Review

Many thanks to the lovely Veronique at Headline for sending me a copy of the book to review, Release Me is out now!

Book Review: Gabriel's Inferno by Sylvain Reynard

Gabriel Emerson is a man tortured by his dark past. A highly respected university professor, Gabriel uses his notorious good looks and charm to lead a secret life of pleasure where nothing is out of bounds.
Sweet and innocent Julia Mitchell enrols as Gabriel's graduate student and his immediate attraction to her, and their powerful and strange connection, threatens to derail his career.

I'm not really sure where to begin with this book but I did enjoy it. As I have said before I read and enjoyed Fifty Shades of Grey but I wasn't that interested in reading many others in the genre. However, I was intrigued by Gabriel's Inferno, mainly because it was written by a man and most books written in this vein are by women.
As with Fifty Shades of Grey, Gabriel's Inferno is ultimately a love story but I wouldn't say that Gabriel  is as dark as Christian Grey. He certainly has a past but he has relatively normal sexual desires. There are very few sex scenes in this book, it is more about the developing tension and relationship between Gabriel and Julia.
The problem is that Julia is his student so their relationship is effectively forbidden. They must try and keep away from each other or not be caught until the end of the semester when Gabriel ceases to be her teacher. They cannot ignore their desire for each other though but there is a lot for them each to learn. Gabriel is not proud of his past and Julia is also running away from events that she would rather forget.
If they are entirely honest with each other then will they still feel the same?
Sylvain Reynard delivers a really interesting story and I didn't feel as though he focused solely on the male perspective which I thought he might. In the main I enjoyed this book and read it very quickly. But there were things which I found annoying which I think is why I don't read a huge amount of books in this genre. I found Gabriel's behaviour towards Julia suffocating at times. I struggled to see how she would find that attractive but that is obviously just my personal opinion. Also I didn't feel that the secrets that Julia and Gabriel were keeping were actually that bad given how much they had been built up.
Gabriel's Inferno is a very addictive read, I find this genre really difficult, I can't stop turning the pages but yet there are things about the books that I don't like. You can't always like a character though nor can you always understand them.
Gabriel's Inferno is a more gentlemanly read than Fifty Shades of Grey and I think that I will probably read the rest of the trilogy.

Dot Scribbles Rating: 4/5

Many thanks to Penguin for sending me a copy of the book to review, Gabriel's Inferno is out now.

Book Review: Dearest Rose by Rowan Coleman

'You are a remarkable woman and you deserve all the happiness, contentment and love in the world. I, for one, know that I have never met anyone quite like you.'
When Rose Pritchard turns up on the doorstep of a Cumbrian B&B, it is her last resort. She and her seven-year-old daughter Maddie have come to the village of Millthwaitein search of the person who once offered Rose hope.
Almost immediately Rose wonders if she's made a terrible mistake- if she's chasing a dream- but she knows in her heart that she cannot go back. She's been given a second chance- at life, and love- but will she have the courage to take it?

Dearest Rose is an extremely emotional and interesting read. Rose Pritchard is running away from Richard, her abusive husband. She has taken Maddie, her seven-year-old away from everything she knows so Rose knows that she has to make the upheaval worth it.
Rose finds herself in the small village of Millthwaite in the Lake District. The only reason she has for coming here is an encounter with an art dealer who was looking for her father John, a famous artist. . Rose feels an instant connection to Frasier, the art dealer and she has carried the memory of him with her for years. Whilst she is looking for Frasier, Rose is shocked to discover that her father is living in the village. A father who abandoned Rose and her mother without a backward glance. What does she have to say to him and will he even acknowledge her as his daughter?
I was very impressed by just how much Rowan Coleman packs into this book. We have Rose's terrifying and damaged relationship with her husband; the strenuous relationship with her father and finally her interest in Frasier. It's so easy to become completely gripped by this book as the story lines weave in and out of each other and there is plenty to hold your interest throughout the book.
One of my favourite parts of the book was Maddie. She is a very complex child and highly entertaining. Maddie is the reason that Rose has run away and she is also the reason that she cannot go back to Richard. Maddie may also hold the key to Rose's relationship with her own father.
Rowan Coleman tackles the issue of domestic abuse head on. I felt like she really explored the whole situation. We discover Rose's early life and how she comes to be in such an awful marriage and why she stays for so long. Rose is determined to keep away from Richard and to keep Maddie safe but his presence is felt throughout the book and you gain a real insight into his controlling behaviour.
Dearest Rose is a really interesting book which I highly recommend. The story is absorbing and the characters believable. Rowan Coelman has a very inviting writing style and this had me starting a new chapter again and again in order to learn more of the story.

Dot Scribbles Rating: 5/5

Book Review: The Other Half of Me by Morgan McCarthy

Jonathan and Theo's childhood is one in which money is abundant but nurture is scarce. With a father who died when they were very young and a mother who starts drinking at lunchtime, the brother and sister are largely left to roam around their sprawling estate in rural Wales, looking only after themselves and each other.
Until, that is, their grandmother, Eve returns to the family home. Eve is a figure who is as enchanting as she is forbidding, and she takes the children under her wing, answering their questions about their family history that have always been ignored. Yet as they grow older, they discover that much of what they've been told is a fiction and that something very sinister lies in their past.

The Other Half of Me is Morgan McCarthy's debut novel and I think it is excellent. The majority of the book is set in Evendon, the family's sprawling Welsh estate. The house isn't described in huge detail but I imagined it to be sprawling and full of secrets. Although the book is set in 2008, I felt as though it had an older feel to it; as if the inhabitants of Evendon hadn't been touched by the modern world.
This book has echoes of The Great Gatsby and I Capture the Castle; there is a plot but you almost don't need anything to happen because the writing is so good.
I really liked the characters of Jonathan and Theo. Theo is central to the whole book; she is incredibly eccentric and innocent and I had a great sense of foreboding from the very beginning that something dreadful would happen to her.
The Other Half of Me is about secrets and their consequences. Should you always keep someone's secret and should you always be prepared to listen and believe when someone shares their secret?
I very much enjoyed Morgan McCarthy's writing and I hope she will treat us to more books in the future.

Many thanks to Headline for sending me a review copy, The Other Half of Me is out now.

Dot Scribbles Rating 4/5

Secrets by Freya North

I was really excited when I heard that Freya North had a new book out and I finally got round to reading Secrets a couple of days ago. I really like the very pink front cover, it's completely different from Freya's other covers but I think it's better!
I love Freya North's books so I may be a little biased but I was completely absorbed from the very first page. Joe is our male protagonist, he has a beautiful house in Saltburn; a high flying career and nothing to tie him down. He advertises for a house sitter and along comes Tess who kind of takes the job before he has had the chance to offer it. So Joe lets Tess into his home without questioning where she has come from and why she has so little belongings or references. There is something about her that captivates him even when she is being infuriatingly sensitive and soon he begins to miss her more than the house when he has to go away.
As the title suggests, this book contains a lot of secrets which I don't want to give away in my review as it's not fair to spoil it for anyone. Freya North, once again has created beautiful characters whose lives she lets you into. I loved how we see the thoughts of both Joe and Tess about the same situation and as a reader you are willing them to realise what each other is thinking and feeling.
I think that Freya North has really explored the different types of secrets and the reason that we keep them from each other. Ultimately she shows how finding someone who you love and trust enough to share your secrets with is one of the greatest gifts that a relationship can offer. If you are a Freya North fan then you will probably not need any encouragement to read this but if not then go and take a look at her website, all her other books are just as good.